Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Part 1 | 20090822 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. Daniel Barenboim conducts his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a German version of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, featuring an English narration devised by the co-founder of the orchestra - scholar and historian Edward Said. The work's themes are given a particular poignancy by the participation of Barenboim and Said's ground-breaking group, which was founded in 1999 to bring together young Israeli and Arab musicians, and continues to serve as a beacon of trust, understanding and dialogue between nations in conflict. Fidelio, first performed in 1805, is an impassioned defence of freedom and justice and a celebration of the power of love as its heroine, Leonore, rescues her falsely incarcerated husband from imprisonment and execution. Beethoven: Fidelio (Part 1) - concert performance; sung in German, with English narration by Edward Said Leonore/narrator - Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) Florestan - Simon O'Neill (tenor) Don Pizarro - Gerd Grochowski (bass-baritone) Rocco - John Tomlinson (bass) Marzelline - Adriana Kucerova (soprano) Jacquino - Stephen Rugamer Don Fernando - Viktor Rud BBC Singers Geoffrey Mitchell Choir Daniel Barenboim (conductor). The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in Part 1 of Beethoven's Fidelio. |
| 02 | Part 2 | 20090822 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. Daniel Barenboim conducts his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in the conclusion of a German version of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, featuring an English narration devised by the co-founder of the orchestra - scholar and historian Edward Said. A work first performed in 1805, Fidelio is an impassioned defence of freedom and justice, and a celebration of the power of love as its heroine, Leonore, rescues her falsely incarcerated husband from imprisonment and execution. Beethoven: Fidelio (Part 2) - concert performance; sung in German, with English narration by Edward Said Leonore/narrator - Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) Florestan - Simon O'Neill (tenor) Don Pizarro - Gerd Grochowski (bass-baritone) Rocco - John Tomlinson (bass) Marzelline - Adriana Kucerova (soprano) Jacquino - Stephen Rugamer Don Fernando - Viktor Rud BBC Singers Geoffrey Mitchell Choir Daniel Barenboim (conductor). The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in Part 2 of Beethoven's Fidelio. |